1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auxiliary air conditioner for a vehicle, and more particularly, to an auxiliary air conditioner for a vehicle, which has improved cooling/heating performance compared to an air conditioning system that is used in the related art, and which can maintain a cabin of the vehicle in the cooled/heated state using a solar cell or surplus power of a battery when the vehicle is stopped.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, an air conditioner, also known as a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system, is installed in a vehicle in order to provide a pleasant environment to a driver and passengers by executing a variety of air-conditioning functions, such as ventilation, cooling, and heating, in a cabin in response to driver's operation. Such an HVAC system can be operated by the driver or the passenger using controls, which are provided to the lower right of a steering wheel. The HVAC system can also be operated by adjusting a ventilation passage or running an air conditioner compressor by operating an automatic temperature control unit.
FIG. 1 is a status view schematically showing an air conditioner for a vehicle having a structure of a related art. In the air conditioner for a vehicle of the related art shown in the figure, a ventilation passage of air that passes through an air conditioner evaporator is described as follows: An air inlet door 100 determines whether inside air or outside air will be the source of air to be blown. A blower 101 is configured to forcibly blow the air into a cabin of the vehicle through the air inlet door 100. The air conditioner evaporator 106 is provided such that the air that is introduced from the blower 101 passes through it. An air mix door 103 is configured such that it regulates the amount of the air that is blown toward a heater core 102. Air ducts 104 and air vents 105 are configured to supply the air that has passed through the air conditioner evaporator 106 and the heater core 102 to individual regions of the vehicle.
Describing in greater detail the flow of the air that is supplied into the cabin of the vehicle through the ventilation passage as above, the blower 101 takes in the air from the source of air, which is selected by the air inlet door 100, and forcibly blows the air, so that the blown air is cooled while passing through the evaporator 106 of the air conditioner before being introduced into the cabin of the vehicle.
After having passed through the evaporator 106 of the air conditioner, the air is introduced into the cabin of the vehicle through the air ducts 104 and the air vents 105, after selectively having passed through the heater core 102 depending on the state of the air mix door 103. The air, which has passed through the heater core 102, and the air, which has not passed through the heater core 102, are mixed in a mix zone 107 so that the mixed air is converted to a predetermined temperature. Afterwards, the resultant air is introduced into the cabin of the vehicle through the air ducts 104 and the air vents 105.
Therefore, when the amount of the air that passes through the heater core 102 increases, the temperature of the air supplied into the cabin of the vehicle rises correspondingly. As described above, the air mix door 103 substantially serves to control the temperature of the air that is introduced into the cabin of the vehicle.
Of course, it is possible to supply air having a predetermined temperature into the cabin of the vehicle or regulate the supply of the air by controlling the degree to which the air vents are opened/closed and the degree to which the air conditioner compressor is operated while regulating the basic passageways of the air. The air vents 105 are generally configured to blow the air in three directions, that is, toward the feet, the chest, and the head of the driver or the passenger.
The air conditioner for a vehicle of the related art, which is configured to control the temperature of the cabin of the vehicle, actuates a cooler or a heater to cool or heat the cabin of the vehicle when controls, which are provided on a portion of a dashboard that is to the lower right of a steering wheel, are operated.
In such a combined air conditioner for a vehicle, engine coolant of the heater for a vehicle is heated, and the air taken in by the blower 101 obtains heat necessary for heating while passing through the heater core 102, which is provided in a coolant circulation path.
However, the air conditioner for a vehicle having the above-described structure of the related art stops operating when the vehicle is stopped. This has a problem in that the temperature of the cabin of the vehicle rises when the vehicle is parked outdoors for a long time in the summer. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to operate the air conditioner by running the engine even when the vehicle is parked. This causes consequent problems of fuel and energy waste.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.